Sybil Gibson’s paintings are her efforts to reconcile her childhood memories with the keen sense of impermanence she had as an adult. Although born in Alabama to a prosperous family, she spent much of her life in poverty. She was well educated and became an elementary school teacher. At the age of 55, without having any formal training in art, she was suddenly seized by an urge to paint, and this unexplained impulse would motivate her to produce numerous paintings until her death in 1995.

Gibson’s paintings are characterized by depictions of flowers, animals, children and striking female faces. Her dreamlike images are painted with tempera on damp grocery bags and old wrapping paper. She saw in this medium an affordable and readily available canvas. Unfortunately, many of her paintings have been lost. From time to time, Gibson would move, leaving behind drawings and paintings strewn around her houses, mobile homes and yards.

Gibson’s abstract approach to art offered her the chance to experience what she claimed were "original learning opportunities and unexpected discoveries." She was never sure of the result she would achieve, and she was always open to experimentation. Gibson became so immersed in her paintings that she could produce nearly 100 works in any given day. As she said, " I do not dictate my paint. It controls me."

[artist biography by Ximena Cisneros]
Sybil Gibson (1908-1995)
Portrait - Wine/GrayII, 1993, acrylic on banner paper